Various types of trailer hitches are well-known in the art. One type of hitch assembly includes a hitch ball mounted in the bed of a pickup truck and a gooseneck on the front of a trailer for coupling to the hitch ball. The gooseneck trailer includes a vertical column with a lower socket or receiver and a latch, to hitch the trailer to the ball in the truck bed. The latch is pivotally connected to the receiver so as to move between latched and unlatched positions relative to the hitch ball. The receiver and the latch each have an aperture slightly bigger than the diameter of the hitch ball, with the apertures being aligned when the latch is in an unlatched position so that the receiver and latch can be lowered onto the ball. The latch is then moved to the latched position, wherein the latch opening is offset with respect to the receiver opening, to thereby capture the reduced-diameter of the hitch ball and secure the trailer to the truck. A lock pin is inserted through the receiver and the latch to prevent movement of the latch to the unlatched position. When it is desired to uncouple the trailer and truck, the lock pin is removed and the latch moved to the unlatched position, which allows the column to be raised so as to lift the receiver and latch from the hitch ball.
This type of truck bed hitch normally requires an operator to climb into the bed of the truck to move the latch, and to engage and disengage the lock pin. However, access to the truck bed is tight due to the configuration of the trailer, gooseneck and truck tailgate. Different types of remote actuators have been designed and developed to eliminate the need to climb into the bed of the truck to lock and unlock the trailer from the hitch ball. While such remote actuators are an improvement, generally, these prior art devices still have shortcomings which make their use and/or installation less than ideal.
Therefore, a primary objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved remote trailer hitch actuator for locking and unlocking a gooseneck trailer to a hitch ball in the bed of a truck.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved hitch assembly for a gooseneck trailer with a cam actuator for coupling and uncoupling the trailer to the hitch ball.
Yet another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved hitch actuator for a gooseneck trailer including a cam assembly mounted on the hitch receiver and a control lever mounted on the trailer to control movement of the hitch pin between lock and unlocked positions relative to the hitch latch.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved method of hitching and unhitching a trailer with a gooseneck to a hitch ball in a truck bed.
Still another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved hitching and unhitching method for a gooseneck trailer wherein a cam assembly is actuated in opposite directions to move the lock pin between locked and unlocked positions and to move the latch between latched and unlatched positions.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of an improved hitch assembly for a gooseneck trailer wherein a cable extends between a control lever on the trailer and a cam assembly on the gooseneck so that movement of the lever actuates the cam assembly, thereby controlling the lock pin and latch of the hitch assembly.
Another objective of the present invention is the provision of a remote trailer hitch actuator for a gooseneck trailer having a control lever mounted on the trailer for easy access, without requiring an operator to enter the bed of the truck.
A further objective of the present invention is the provision of a remote trailer hitch actuator which is simple, effective, and safe in use.
These and other objectives will become apparent from the following description of the invention.